Married to a Demon
by Marydeth Engel
Summary: Upon casually entering a Contest of Strength, Kenpachi Zaraki wins the exiled Royal Princess Umeko Kimushi as an unwelcome bride. She's afraid of him, and he could care less about her. Will she ever succeed in softening Kenpachi's heart of stone?
1. The Exiled Princess

The crowd buzzed excitedly as the extravagantly dressed arena announcer stood to his feet and rapped a ceremonial staff hard on the platform he stood upon. "Quiet please, ladies and gentlemen," he voiced, "We will now commence the Contest of Strength to determine the hand of her royal highness, Princess Umeko Kimushi."

~xXx~

Several weeks earlier

~xXx~

A Royal Courier kneeled on a cushion before the Commander General Shigekuni Yamamoto. The tiny receiving room was bare save for a mural of an elaborate crest and a few cushions. The two men were alone, facing each other with grave expressions. "So it's come to that," the First Division captain muttered darkly.

"Yes, my lord," the messenger said, "The royal family has increased their protections lately, in apprehension of another force trying to gain entry to their dimension. Her Royal Highness frequently disregards these measures taken for her safety and has thus angered her father, His Royal Majesty the Spirit King. He desires her to wed an eligible man and to be exiled to the Seireitei. Her husband is to be charged with her safety and wellbeing until His Majesty sees fit to return her to the Royal Palace. In short, the princess is in disgrace."

Captain Yamamoto's brow furrowed into a fierce expression. "The royal family has never contacted the Seireitei, much less with news of this weight. We may not be able to accommodate the lifestyle of a member of the royal family on such short notice. Also, there are many dangers even in the inner city. There is a risk of the princess being captured for information about the other dimension. It would only encourage the threats to the Royal family instead of relieving them."

The messenger bowed politely, the beads on his hat swaying. "My lord, all the arrangements have already been made. There is no need to worry about the comfort of the princess; all her needs will be provided for. However, it is His Majesty's wish for her to be treated as an ordinary citizen of the Seireitei. She _is_ in exile. In addition, there are many protective spells that have been placed upon her mind for the protection of forbidden information. She is physically unable to speak or write about matters pertaining to the secrets of the other dimension." He produced a gilded scroll from inside the voluminous sleeve of his uniform. "Here is the official order my lord," the messenger said, "There is to be a Contest of Strength for the both the title of Greatest Warrior and the hand of Her Royal Highness. All details have been outlined in the scroll. Only seated officers, vice-captains, captains, and members of the noble families will be admitted to the contest."

Captain Yamamoto unrolled the scroll and studied it for a few moments. Scowl deepening, he growled, "Very well. This is indeed a direct order from the King. I will make the preparations and inform the people of this."

Bowing once again, the messenger said, "I will make sure the King knows of your will to comply. Good day, Commander Yamamoto." He closed his eyes and vanished, leaving nothing behind but the scroll and a slight dent in the cushion.

~xXx~

The crowd cheered wildly at the words of the announcer. He waited until there was once again silence in the arena to continue. "There will be a series of duels, chosen at random, to determine the winner of this Contest and so gain the title of Greatest Warrior. This is a momentous occasion…" In the crush of applicants on the arena floor, Captain of the Eleventh Division Kenpachi Zaraki was ignoring the announcer completely. He rolled his eyes, muttering, "Blah blah blah. Damn, he's a long winded old man. I wanna fight already!" Next to him, Eighth Division's captain, Shunsui Kyouraku, chuckled.

"You're getting impatient, Zaraki-san," he laughed, "You'll get your chance. Say, just out of friendly curiosity, which interests you more: the title or the princess?"

"Huh?" Kenpachi stared down at him with a scary wide-eyed grimace, "Princess? What the hell are you talking about? I'm taking the title of Greatest Warrior for myself." He gave Kyouraku a bloodthirsty grin. "Better watch out, pretty boy. I'll smash you if you get in my way."

Kyouraku just smiled, eyeing Kenpachi from under the brim of his hat. "Well, let's hope we don't run into each other then." Their conversation was interrupted by another wave of cheering from the stands as the arena announcer signaled the beginning of the contest.

"There are only two rules!" he yelled, "Stay inside the ring at all times, and do not kill your opponent! The breaking of these rules will result in immediate disqualification from the contest."

Kenpachi sighed in disappointment. "Don't kill them?" he growled, "how the hell am I supposed to promise something like that?"

Reverberations from a huge gong atop the platform rang out across the arena. The arena announcer pulled two scraps of paper from a red box by his elbow. "First pair!" he announced, "Division Eleven's Third Seat, Ikkaku Madarame versus Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, also of the Eleventh Division!"


	2. Contest of Strength: Round One

A soft breeze sent dust eddying across the arena floor as the two swordsmen faced each other. Ikkaku grinned nervously. "Never thought I'd be up against you, Captain," he said, "No hard feelings, huh?"

Kenpachi's mouth spread wide in his usual bloodthirsty grimace. "I'm not gonna go easy on you just because you're in my division," he said, turning to the platform, "Hey, ref! Start the fight, already!"

"My thoughts exactly," Ikkaku said, his grin widening to match Kenpachi's.

The arena announcer raised his arm. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face, betraying his apprehension of the battle to come. "Contestants, ready yourselves!" he shouted, "At the sound of the gong, you are free to engage in battle! Ready….Begin!"

The mallet had barely touched the gong before the two men shot forward. Ikkaku leapt high over Kenpachi's head and shouted, "Extend!" freeing Hozukimaru's first release. As their blades clashed together, Kenpachi laughed, "Looks like you're serious! First release already? You can't even scratch me!"

Ikkaku's grin just grew wider, and he whipped the other end of his sansetsukon towards Kenpachi's unguarded chest. As they sprang apart in a bright shower of sparks, he bent forward in a feral stance and growled, "Just trying not to get myself killed by my own captain. Now quit blabbing and fight me!"

Kenpachi's eyes glinted, and he charged towards Ikkaku, laughing maniacally. On top of the ceremonial platform, the princess and her attendant sat listening to the fierce battle below them. Unable to see outside the walls of her covered sedan, Princess Umeko clenched her hands in her lap. "Suki," she whispered, "Who is fighting? He…he sounds like a demon!" Her eyes brimmed with tears. "Are all the men here like this? I don't want to marry a monster! I'm scared!"

Suki produced a finely embroidered handkerchief from her sleeve and gently wiped the tears from the princess' face. "Don't fear, your highness," she said reassuringly, "Captain Yamamoto will not allow any harm to come to you. You are safe here." Suki smiled. "And besides, your highness," she whispered, "If you cry any more, your eyes will puff up!" Umeko giggled, holding the handkerchief politely over her mouth. "Thank you, Suki," she said. The princess leaned back on her cushions and tried to ignore the sounds coming from the ring.

On the arena floor below, Ikkaku spun frantically, trying to avoid the merciless blows from Kenpachi's zanpakuto. His right arm hung useless by his side, the shoulder bleeding heavily from a deep slash wound. His robes were in tatters, soaked with blood and sticky with sweat. Kenpachi was just as he threatened, without a single tear to mar his bloodstained haori. With a powerful one handed swing, he sent Hozukimaru flying and pressed his blade to Ikkaku's throat. "Game over," he said triumphantly.

The arena announcer brought his arm down in a sharp motion. "Winner of the first match, Captain of the Eleventh Division, Kenpachi Zaraki!" he yelled. Ikkaku slumped to his knees, panting heavily. He glared up at the looming figure standing over him and huffed, "Well, sorry Captain, but even though I lost, I won't admit defeat. Even to you. That's what you taught me."

Kenpachi grinned widely. "Now that's what I like to hear. You've gotten stronger since the last time we fought, Ikkaku." He turned and walked to the area reserved for first-round winners. A medic ran towards him. "Captain Zaraki," she called, "Please wait, sir! We haven't yet treated your wounds!" He turned and hissed, "Wounds? This isn't my blood, woman." The medic trembled violently, overwhelmed by his spiritual pressure. "Y-yes sir," she quaked, and ran shakily back to where Ikkaku lay sprawled unconscious in a puddle of crimson mud. A proud smile was still fixed on his face.

Kenpachi sat, arms crossed, to watch the rest of the first round. As the sun climbed higher in the sky, the fighting dragged on as one or both participants of each duel were carted from the ring by the medical team. At long last, the arena announcer stood to his feet to call the last fight. "Winner, Captain Shunsui Kyoraku of the Eighth Division! This concludes the first round of the Contest of Strength! All contestants who have advanced to the second round are to duel again at noon tomorrow!" The gong rang a second time, waking Kenpachi; who had fallen asleep.

"Huh? Over already?" he muttered, "Well, better go get these stains out of my uniform. Come on, Yachiru." Grinning like a monkey, Yachiru jumped onto Kenpachi's shoulder as they left the arena. The sun set, streaks of red and gold illuminating the western part of the Seireitei as the first day of the Contest of Strength came to an end.


End file.
